Devon man in the running to win national Avis photography competition

AN EXETER man has been singled out by acclaimed photo agency Getty Images and selected as the UK’s finalist in a photography competition - ‘Avis I Can’t Believe My Eyes’ - putting him into the running for a £5,000 dream holiday from British Airways.

Marc Arstall's awe-inspiring photo of winding roads and grassy mountains on the iconic Route 38 in Northern Argentina was taken whilst driving with his wife during a honeymoon sabbatical. Getty picked it out as reflecting the true ‘beauty in the journey’, meaning it managed to beat off stiff competition from 597 entrants from across the UK.

He will now go head-to-head with one other finalist from France, with all photos being put to the public vote via www.icantbelievemyeyes.co.uk.

The overall winner will not only receive a luxury holiday from British Airways and car rental from Avis, but will also see their photo appear in a future Avis advertising campaign, plus become a feature within the I Can’t Believe My Eyes short film, putting one talented travel photographer truly on the map. Members of the public now have until June 16 to have their say and pledge their support for Marc.

Marc, who designs engines for Rolls Royce, said “I’m thrilled to have been chosen as a UK finalist for the Avis I Can’t Believe My Eyes competition – I’ve never actually entered one before! I actually took that photo on a really cloudy, grey day, but we got to that point in the route and the sun suddenly came out – it was so breath-taking that I had to stop and capture it.

My wife and I took that trip after getting married last summer, so winning the holiday would be an amazing thing to look forward to now we’re back home and returning to normal. I would love it if people could find the time to vote for me at www.icantbelievemyeyes.co.uk.

Lauren Catten, Art Director at Getty Images said, “We really struggled to narrow down our favourite images but in the end, Marc’s photograph stood out because it truly showed the beauty of the journey as well as impressive skill from a photography perspective.”

Andy Letting, Head of Social Media at Avis said, “We’re true believers that the journey is the destination, from the wide open roads of the US Midwest to the winding mountain routes through the Alps, the world is full of incredible journeys to discover.

"Marc perfectly captured the beauty in the journey with his stunning image of Argentina, and is a deserving finalist.”

For more information about Avis and to vote for the winning image, please click here or visit www.icantbelievemyeyes.co.uk @AvisUK